Lights ready for matchup with Bulldogs
George Ferguson
Havre Daily News Sports
gferguson@havredailynews.com
Saturday's football game is one that Montana State University-Northern head
coach Marc Samson hopes won't go the way of the first matchup between Northern
and the University of Montana-Western Bulldogs.
In that first wild shootout just over a month ago in Dillon, the Bulldogs edged
the Lights, 34-33. It was a game that the Lights let get away from them, with
two missed extra points and a missed field goal.
”It is tough to play everybody twice a year because everybody is so evenly
matched, especially the second time around,“ Samson
said. ”But the Western game is one that our guys feel like they let slip away
in Dillon. So I am sure they are looking forward to getting out there and
trying to get a win.“
Letting games slip away is much different than
getting beat outright. Northern's kicking woes in Dillon reappeared in a close
loss to Frontier Conference front-runner Montana Tech. Eliminating those
mistakes and others are part of the maturing process for the Lights football
program, but it could also be the difference on Saturday afternoon when the
Lights try to split the season series with the Bulldogs.
”We're pretty evenly matched,“ Samson said. ”Both
offenses had a lot of success in the first game and, at times, so did the
defenses.
”I think that eliminating some of the mistakes we made the first time around
would make a big difference,“ he added. ”Special teams
are one area where we certainly need to get better. It is something we work
hard at and do very well in practice. It just seems to break down in games.“
Indeed, both offenses had a big day in Dillon last month, particularly the
quarterbacks. Western's Justin Hartman threw for 366 yards and a multitude of
touchdowns against what has become a very stiff Lights defense. Northern
quarterback Kyle Samson also had a huge day offensively, throwing for 247 yards
and rushing for 48 more. The Lights' ground game gained a total of 196 yards on
a young Western defense. And there is no reason to think that this Saturday will
be any different.
”Well, I hope it is just our team that is going up and down the field,“ Samson said. ”But Hartman is a very
solid quarterback and he had his best game of the season against us. He
is certainly a concern.
”What is more important for us is just to put a more consistent game together,“ the coach added. ”We have been in a position to win
almost every game and that is a real positive. We have also had breakdowns in
crucial moments. We just need to be more consistent from beginning to end.“
Despite the fact that the Bulldogs possess a win over Northern this season, the
Lights have the edge in most offensive categories. Samson is among the top
quarterbacks in the Frontier Conference in almost every passing category.
Samson is also the fifth-leading rusher in the conference.
Hartman ranks right behind Samson in passing efficiency. Western has one of the
top receivers in the conference in Jake Larson. The junior has already caught
27 balls for 386 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Lights' Don Saisbury is third in the conference in all-purpose
yards. In fact, all three of the Lights' running backs - Saisbury, Zach Wermers
and Saxton Shearer - rank in the top 15 in all-purpose yards this season.
Team statistics also show a major edge for Northern. The Lights are ranked
second behind
Still, Western has the one win against the Lights this season.Samson said it
should be a difficult matchup once again, despite the game being played in
Havre.
”I am sure Western is coming up here gunning for us,“
Samson said. ”They have had a rough last couple of games against
”But they also had a week off, so they should be rested and ready to play,“ he added. ”Again, it is just so tough to play everyone
twice. We have had a good week of practice, though, and we are healthy right
now. So our guys should be ready to play.“
Saturday's game between MSU-Northern (1-3, 2-3) and UM-Western (1-4, 1-2) will
get under way at